


cheater cheater pumpkin eater

by StrawberryLane



Series: Seven minutes in heaven [13]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Consent Issues, Halloween Costumes, House Party, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Non-Consensual Touching, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 10:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16282859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLane/pseuds/StrawberryLane
Summary: “Hey, what’s up? Have you seen Buck-” Peter asks, his mask tugged up to reveal his face, the cup of punch he’s sipping on slipping from his hands as he freezes in the doorway. Flash gets fruit punch all over his feet.“What,” Peter asks, “the hell?”“Pete!” Barnes sounds like he’s near hysterics, grabbing at Phoenix to throw her off himself.But Peter’s already gone, rushing down the hallway.





	cheater cheater pumpkin eater

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case you haven't read the tags, there's a case of non-consensual touching and kissing in this. It's not talked about in a lot of detail, but just in case it brings up bad memories of something I thought I should probably mention it.

“No!” cries Bucky, “I’ll be the wiener soldier! It’ll be funny!”

 

His words are met with a stare from Peter. “Yes, it’ll be funny, but the invite specifically says no cringey couples costumes. Which means that as much I love your idea, we can’t dress up as a hot dog and a bun.”

 

Bucky pouts, the cold light from the computer illuminating his face. “This Lauren person doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

 

Peter groans. “Phoenix Larson, babe. Her name is Phoenix Larson. You can’t just misremember her name every single time because she gave us the third degree at her last party.”

 

The pout intensifies. “Can too,” says Bucky, likes he’s three years old and was just told that no, those hot things on the stove are off limits because you could get badly hurt.

 

“I don’t like her,” Bucky continues. “And I don’t get why she would invite you to a Halloween party and then specify that I’m also invited. I’ve met her once and I spent a good portion of that party in a closet-”

 

“But it means we must have fooled her, right? If she thinks you’re my boyfriend now.”

 

It’s Bucky’s turn to stare at Peter. “And here I thought I was the one with the memory problems. You do remember, right? Your name is Peter Parker, you live with your aunt May - who I have yet to meet in the official kind of way, by the way - my name is Bucky, I’m your boyfriend since-”

 

Peter answers by hitting Bucky’s shoulder. “Idiot. I just meant we must have been convincing back then. And you will meet May, just – she’s still mad about the whole Spider Man thing. If I announce that my boyfriend is the Winter Soldier… I don’t think that would go over well, just now. And I really like not being grounded.”

 

“So just tell her your boyfriend is James Barnes. Totally standard name. No red flags will show up about that.”

 

“Except she’s familiar enough with US history and the news from the last couple of years to know that the Winter Soldier’s actual name is James Barnes. And she’s seen you drop me off more than once. May isn’t stupid, she’ll put two and two together before I even get the sentence out of my mouth.”

 

Bucky sighs. “Okay. But it needs to happen sometime. I won’t be your dirty little secret forever.”

 

“You’re not my dirty little secret,” Peter counters. “Everyone who’s not May knows about you and me. Phoenix Larson knows about us.”

 

“Yeah, but she knew about us before we were an us for real. Doesn’t count.”

 

“You know I want to tell May about you. Just not right now. I just got out of being grounded.”

 

Bucky sighs again. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get back to finding something appropriate to wear for this party. You sure the hot dog and the bun idea is a no?”  


“Absolutely.”

 

*

 

Peter’s got some serious balls, Flash thinks. The guy actually turns up to Phoenix Larson’s annual Halloween bash dressed as Spider Man.

 

He claims he made the costume himself, the fucker. Flash doesn’t know if he should cry or laugh about the fact that Peter is quite literally parading his secret alter ego around for everyone to see. And no one but him, Ned and Peter’s boyfriend who somehow snagged himself another invite to a high school party, knows.

 

Speaking of the boyfriend, Barnes has also gone for the superhero theme, expect he’s wearing the female version of a Batman costume. And, as in most cases, the female version just means that the costume is much smaller and sexier than its male counterpart.

 

It basically means that Barnes is wearing a tight dress that is way too small for him and thigh high boots. The only thing on the entire outfit that tells people that he’s supposed to be Batman is the yellow bat on the front of the dress and maybe the cape hanging from his shoulders. He actually manages to make it look halfway to decent.

 

Ned has turned up dressed as Captain America, which makes Barnes beam at him and refer to him as “my man Steve”, for the entire evening. It’s actually kind of cute.

 

At first, Flash is a little confused as to why Barnes was invited to the party, as the majority of their school still thinks Barnes is a cheating asshole who can’t keep it in his pants even in front of paparazzi. The guy got caught macking on Spider Man of all people in public, after all.

 

If only his classmates knew, Flash thinks. The reveal of Spider Man’s actual identity is still seriously messing with Flash’s head. Mostly because he still doesn’t see how he didn’t see it from the beginning. Looking back, everything matches up – Peter’s awkwardness around discussing the Stark internship, his weird energy and general caginess, his injuries, his absences from school. This whole thing was right in front of Flash’s face this entire time and he didn’t see it.

 

Sometimes he just feels so stupid.

 

*

 

The party’s in full swing by the time Flash is even remotely satisfied with his own look. He has to reapply the fake blood to his chest every couple of hours, making him think that his classic stabbed by a wooden stake vampire look is something of a hassle. It took an eternity to put together too. Who knew suitable wooden stakes would be so hard to get hold of in New York City? And so difficult to actually attach to his suit?

 

As he exits the bathroom, picking up someone’s abandoned cup of fruit punch and making his way back down to the main party area, he hears a female giggle from through one of the open doors that presumably leads to the bedroom belonging to someone in the Larson family. It’s an airy, drunk sound, cutting through the relative stillness of the upstairs floor.

 

“What’s that thing you wanted to show me?”

 

Ice fills Flash’s bones in a second. That’s Barnes’ gruff voice all right. He sounds exasperated, like he is so done with this entire evening.

 

“It’s right here, lemme jus-” there’s the unmistakable sound of a crash and Barnes’ swearing. Flash has never heard so much venom being put into the word _fucker_ before. And then, still in Barnes’ weary, irritated voice. “I’d very much appreciate if you’d get off me now, miss.”

 

Flash inches forward, his curiosity getting the better of him, until he’s able to take a sneak peek into the room.

 

There, on the floor, awkwardly tangled against the bed, is Barnes and Phoenix. Flash suddenly feels very uncomfortable, like he’s witnessing something that he really shouldn’t.

 

Phoenix is clearly very drunk and judging from the look on his face, Barnes is very clearly not. Flash isn’t even sure if Barnes can get actually get drunk. Captain America can’t, he thinks.

 

“But why?” moans Phoenix, probably aiming for irresistibly sexy and missing by some thousand miles. “Isn’t this nice?”

 

Flash watches in horror as she takes hold of Barnes hands and brings them down to her ass, pressing her body against the soldier. Does she want to get killed?

 

Apparently she does, because she brushes her hair out of her face and goes in for a kiss. If she’d just asked, Flash could have loudly informed her exactly why that’s a dumb as fuck decision to make.

 

Barnes flinches like he’s been hit and promptly tears his hands away. And then he, not too gently, pushes the girl away from himself.

 

“No,” he says. “It’s not. I have a boyfriend, as you’re very much aware.”

 

“But why?” asks Phoenix, tears already brimming in her eyes. She’s still laying where she landed when Barnes pushed her off.

 

“Is it because I don’t have a dick? Everybody else wants to hit this!” she gestures to herself. “And the one person I wanna get down with doesn’t wanna get down with me.”

 

“I’m not gonna cheat on Peter,” Barnes tells her, slowly getting up from the floor. Flash averts his eyes so that he won’t get an eyeful of something he really doesn’t want to see. That dress is incredibly short on Barnes.

 

“But you have no problem with that! There’s pictures everywhere of you and Spider Man! Why is he any different?”

 

“Contrary to popular belief I don’t do dumb shit all the time. And Peter and I had to work a lot to get to where we are now and I’ll be damned if I destroy that just because you have a crush.”

 

Phoenix apparently doesn’t get the hint because she, too, gets up from the floor, advancing on Barnes until they hit the wall, her pressed against him. Again.

 

Barnes turns his head away from her searching lips, eyes widening comically as he spots Flash in the doorway. “What Peter doesn’t know won’t hurt him, though, will it?” Phoenix asks, obviously not receiving the giant “don’t touch me” vibes Barnes is sending out. Instead, she wraps her arms around the older man’s neck, giggling like a little girl.

 

It’s a miracle she’s still alive, Flash thinks.

 

And that’s when disaster strikes. Phoenix is just about to worm her way out of her skintight police officer outfit – complete with handcuffs and thigh high boots – when Flash feels someone behind him.

 

“Hey, what’s up? Have you seen Buck-” Peter asks, his mask tugged up to reveal his face, the cup of punch he’s sipping on slipping from his hands as he freezes in the doorway. Flash gets fruit punch all over his feet.

 

“What,” Peter asks, “the hell?”

 

“Pete!” Barnes sounds like he’s near hysterics, grasping at Phoenix to once again throw her off himself. This time he’s not gentle at all and Phoenix lands in a heap on the floor, crying out in pain. But Peter’s already gone, rushing down the hallway.

 

“Baby wait!” shouts Barnes, running as fast in those thigh high boots as he can. He stops right by the stairs, shouting something Flash can’t make out. And then he’s ripping off his boots and jumping – not running down the stairs like a normal human being – down to the first floor.

 

Flash sprints after, because he needs to see how this ends.

 

He catches up with Barnes – and Ned – just as the two are sprinting out of the Larson mansion. Barnes has a phone pressed to his ear, whispering “come on, come on,” frantically as he leads Ned and Flash to a deeply red corvette and motioning for them to get inside.

 

“Stark!” Barnes suddenly barks into the phone. “I need you to find Pete for me! I’ve made a huge mistake and need to fix it pronto! Just send me the coordinates, you can chew me out later.”

 

With that, he throws his phone to Ned and starts the engine. They leave the driveway like they’re in an action movie, with the gravel going everywhere and Flash fearing for his life.

 

*

“Stark says he’s at home.” Ned informs the car as a whole once they’ve been driving for a few minutes. “Or at least the suit is.”

 

Barnes curses again and ignores a red light. Stark must have done some work on this car, Flash thinks, because they’re going much faster than any regular car would. What he wouldn’t give to own one just like it.

 

They come to a screeching halt outside of Peter’s apartment building, missing a fire hydrant by just a couple of inches.

 

“Let me,” Ned says as Barnes makes to get out of the car. “Aunt May’s home and if you barge in looking like that-”

 

Barnes grimaces. “Yeah.” he says, shoulders slumping in defeat. “Yeah, you’re right.”

 

The minutes tick by slow as syrup. Barnes is antsy as fuck, repeatedly calling Peter and nearly crying when the boy doesn’t pick up. Ned comes down again, shaking his head. “May hasn’t seen him. I checked his room and he’s not there.”

 

It’s like all the air just leaves Barnes. He slumps in the car seat like he’s losing the will to live.

 

“I might know where he is, though,” says Ned, a sly smile on his face.

 

“Where?!”

 

“There’s this playground not far from here...”

 

Barnes is up from the seat and in Ned’s face in no time. “Where?” he demands.

 

“Not far,” Ned responds and then, “But just so you know, I’m not entirely sure I want to show you the way. I don’t know what is going on, but if Peter just ran away I’m assuming you did something dumb. And, like, I like you but I like Peter a lot more.”

 

Barnes deflates again. It takes Flash a while to understand that the man is actually crying.

 

*

They must look more than a little ridiculous, Flash thinks. Just Captain America, a stabbed vampire and a douchebag in a batman dress hurrying down the street. Nothing to see here.

 

They reach the playground much faster than Flash though they would. Before they get all the way up to where Peter is sitting on the swing set, though, Ned reaches out and pulls Flash back.

 

“I think they need to talk,” is the only thing he says and for once, for maybe the first time ever, Flash agrees with the other boy.

 

*

 

“Hey.” Bucky closes in on the swing set cautiously, like he’s expecting Peter to lash out at him. “Can I explain?”

 

Peter sniffles angrily. “’Kay.” He looks like he’s been crying and Bucky hates himself for it.

 

“I’ll just start by saying I’m never accepting an invite to Lauren what’s-her-name’s parties every again. And I’m-”

 

“Phoenix. Her name’s Phoenix, you know this.”

 

“She looks like her name should be Lauren. She came to me, and I never meant for anything like that to happen. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

 

“She was all over you.”

 

“Said that if I cheated on you with Spider Man I wouldn’t have a problem doing it with her. I’m so fucking sorry, Pete. And I understand if you want to break up with me. I just want you to know I never intended for this to happen. I shouldn’t have gone with her.”

 

Bucky’s openly crying now. Peter sniffles again. “Who said anything about breaking up you idiot?”

 

At that, Bucky looks cautiously happy, like he expected Peter to kick him to the curb without even listening to his explanation. “Really?”

 

Peter shrugs. “I think so. Don’t know yet. I still need to think about it.”

 

“Can I touch you?” Bucky asks suddenly, his voice sounding rough. Peter nods and Bucky reaches out, lacing their fingers together.

 

“I’m so sorry,” he repeats. “And I’ll do anything to make this right.”

 

Peter nods. “I know you will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! :D


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